This invention relates generally to containers for dispensing liquid and more specifically to a container having a novel pouring spout arrangement by which the space above the liquid is vent ed to permit air to be drawn into the space during a pouring operation to prevent the glugging or gulping phenomenon associated with many conventional bottles.
This invention is particularly applicable to larger blow molded plastic bottles, for example 35 lb. or 5 gallon jugs, of the type described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,340,000, owned by the parent company of the assignee of this invention, and used for dispensing a variety of different types of liquids, some of which may be toxic or flammable. To eliminate the unwanted glugging action, as liquid is poured from the bottle, the bottle illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,340,000 includes a neck platform 30 having a forward wall 32 including a vertical section 34 which extends along and coextensively upwardly from wall 14 and blends with a rearwardly tapered section 36 which terminates in a top wall portion 38 on which a circular threaded spout 40 is formed. The platform also includes a pair of side walls 42 and 44 which extend rearwardly from a forward wall 32 beneath the spout 40 to a junction area 46 where they join with a narrow hollow handle 50 which is connected at its rearward end 52 to the rear wall 16. The platform 30 also includes a guiding neck portion 54 which forms a horizontal generally U-shaped curved ledge 60 which extends inwardly from walls 42 and 44 to form a generally U-shaped pouring edge 70 which diverts the liquid stream away from the sides and rear of the spout, producing a smaller area but higher velocity of liquid flow over the front edge 78 of the spout while permitting air to flow into the rear of the spout through passageway 58 of handle 50 into chamber 20. The bottom surface of ledge 60 is spaced above top wall 24 to create a vertical space there between. For a more complete understanding of that bottle reference is made to U.S. Pat. No. 5,340,000 the specification of which is incorporated herein ill its entirety.
The bottle illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,340,000 has enjoyed substantial commercial success and has essentially alleviated glugging action during a pouring operation. However, an occasional problem has been noted. During the cooling process of the hot, blown plastic bottle, the neck of the bottle may sometimes assume an excessively tilted position so that die top of the spout is no longer level. This causes capping and sealing problems for the bottle customer during the filling operation. The tilt problems have become more common as the thickness of the plastic material has been reduced for cost purposes and are deemed attributable to the fact that the no-glug ledge is unsupported in a vertical direction due to the open vertical space between the bottom of the ledge and the top wall of the container.
The invention as described below was developed to alleviate the tilt problems associated with the bottle described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,340,000.